TNSS: My Father Who Art in Hell
by Scealai
Summary: Book Two in the Nyazian Scrolls Saga; Connor and Pandora have to help Ron when Rack appears in L. A.
1. Default Chapter

Title: The Nyazian Scrolls Saga: My Father Who Art in Hell  
Author: T. C.  
Rating: PG-14  
Pairing: Connor/Pandora/Ron friendship; Willow/Angel; Cordelia/Lindsey  
Summary: Problems between his parents puts Ron in a vulnerable position  
just when Rack returns.  
Spoilers: Anything before and including Season 3 of 'Angel' and Season  
6 of 'BTVS' could be mentioned.  
Distribution: Please ask, I usually say yes.  
Disclaimer: The characters of 'BTVS' and 'Angel' belong to Joss Whedon,  
20th Century Fox, the WB, and UPN. The characters of  
'Charmed' belong to Constance M. Burge, Spelling Television  
Inc., and the WB.  
***********************************************************************  
Part One  
  
The Slayer sprang from the roof of an old ivied tomb and dropped down  
between a male and a female vampire. She punched the female in the   
face and broke her nose and then turned and kicked the male in the   
head, breaking his jaw. Both creatures were dust before they could  
recover. Rack watched the seemingly helpless blond girl disappear   
through the cemetery gates, whistling a jaunty tune as she walked.  
Something was different. Rack had returned to Sunnydale on several  
occasions throughout the years and the Slayer had always been morose  
and mechanical - like the weight of the world was pressing down on her.  
She was lighter now and happy. So, what he had been hearing was true -  
his Willow witch had returned to her friends. She wasn't in Sunnydale  
though, she was much too smart for that, but she wouldn't be too far  
away. He would find her and finally reunite with his son. His family.  
  
"Lovely night for a stroll." Rack blinked into existence in front of  
Buffy. He chuckled at the fear she couldn't hide. He knew that the  
fear wasn't for herself, but for her friend. He smiled. "I was   
wondering if you could help me get in touch with an old mutual friend  
of ours. I believe she has my son."  
  
"You stay away from Willow." Buffy attacked with more desperation  
than finesse. Her punch flew through the air without finding its   
target, knocking her off balance and to the ground. Rack was gone.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll find her anyway," his disembodied voice informed  
her.  
  
Patrol was over. Buffy shook off her shock and jumped up. She ran as  
fast as she could back to her house. She had to warn Willow. It had  
been two years since she had turned up in L. A. and stopped running.  
They had all started to think that Rack didn't care since Ron was no  
longer a baby to be sacrificed. They had been wrong. Buffy ran  
faster.  
  
*****  
  
Her world was over - at least the one that was familiar to her. A dark  
pit of pain had opened up where her heart had been. Willow sat on   
their bed and watched with a numb detachment as Lindsey packed his   
suitcase. "Why?" she managed to whisper.  
  
"I already told you why." Lindsey's voice was tight and he didn't turn  
to face her. He continued to rip through their closet instead. Jeans,  
shirts, blouses, pants - it didn't matter if they were his or hers,   
they ended up strewn around the bedroom floor. "I can't stand this  
mediocrity anymore. I'm better than this. Wolfram and Hart recognizes  
that. They've offered me what I deserve - power, money, and anything  
else I would care to want. I can't wear any of these rags!" Lindsey  
tore the last piece of clothing off its hangar and threw it across the  
room. He turned and stalked to his suitcase which sat beside Willow.  
He snapped it shut and picked it up without even glancing at her.  
  
Willow reached out and caught his arm. She couldn't stand it. She  
wanted him to look at her. "You promised you would never leave me,  
Mac."  
  
"My name is Lindsey." Lindsey jerked his arm away. His eyes bore into  
hers with a frightfully intense glare. "Promises are just words,  
Willow. They don't mean anything." He didn't say good-bye as he  
disappeared though the bedroom door.  
  
"Lindsey!" Willow yelled and ran to the bedroom door. He had paused  
at the top of the stairs. "I love you."  
  
"Those are just words too." Lindsey continued on down the stairs.  
  
Willow recoiled as if she had been slapped and bit back a sob. She  
followed after him, but stumbled on the top step. She caught the   
railing to keep herself form tumbling down the stairs. She leaned over  
the side. "They're evil," she screamed. Her only answer was the hard  
slam of the front door. Willow slid down the railing and sat with a  
thump on the top step. "They're evil," she repeated much more softly.  
  
It was all so confusing. They had been so happy for so many years and  
they had even continued to be happy once they had moved to L. A. and  
had resumed their real identities. When the record label had   
inexplicably dropped Lindsey, Willow hadn't been worried. She still   
had her job and Lindsey still sang at the local clubs - he was quite  
popular at P3 - and they both helped out at Angel Investigations from  
time to time. Willow had been optimistic that another recording   
contract would present itself and Lindsey's dream would become reality.  
This optimism just seemed to irk Lindsey lately. He started to pick   
stupid fights, but still she had just thought it was a temporary rough   
patch in their marriage. Nothing to freak out about. She never  
once thought he would leave her and Ron. Not until he had walked   
through the door this evening and announced that he had accepted his   
old position at Wolfram and Hart.   
  
The soft humming buzz of the cordless phone started to ring from   
somewhere in the house. Willow didn't care. She stood up on shaky  
legs and made her way back to the bedroom where she managed to pick up  
one of Lindsey's flannel shirts before collapsing on the bed. Her sobs  
drowned out the phone as it continued to ring.  
  
*****  
  
The Hyperion was a welcome sight for Angel. It hadn't been a  
particularly difficult case - they had just tracked down magic mirror  
that had some society people killing each other to possess it - and  
he was bone tired. Infiltrating the clique had been hell - give him  
a Goltrok demon over a club luncheon any day. Angel pushed open the  
front doors. Cordelia and Fred had decided to use their 'dressing up'  
for the case to their advantage and had met a couple of eligible   
bachelors they had stayed to have drinks with after the mirror had been  
destroyed and the evil-fighting was over. Gunn had gone to P3 to meet  
Paige and had dragged Wesley with him - apparently Paige had a friend  
they both thought Wesley would like. Angel could hear Connor and Ron   
talking in the parlor while they watched television. Lorne had stayed  
with the boys since everyone else was occupied with the case and Willow  
and Lindsey had needed some 'alone' time.   
  
"Where's Lorne?" Angel frowned. It had been two years since Lilah had  
attempted to kidnap his son and she hadn't made any moves or threats  
since then, but there was still the last Nyazian Scroll to worry about.  
Lindsey had confirmed that his possession of it had been a bluff and  
that Lilah could very well have it. She hadn't tried to use it to her  
advantage yet, but Angel wasn't going to be comfortable until he had  
that scroll.  
  
"He's just upstairs, Dad. A client came in for an emergency reading."  
Connor's frown matched his father's. He was too old for babysitters  
anyway. He was thirteen. "We're fine."  
  
"I know." Angel backed off. Connor was fine and he would probably be  
in danger his whole life. Smothering him would only cause new   
problems. "So, what do you guys have planned for your last weekend  
before school starts?"  
  
"Nothing much," Ron answered. "Dory gets back tomorrow so we're  
meeting her at the mall and going to a movie."  
  
"Mom, Aunt Willow, and Mrs. Halliwell want to take us shopping first,"  
Connor added.  
  
"Sounds like fun." Angel's phone rang and he reached into his pocket  
to answer it. "Hello, Angel Investigations."  
  
"Angel," Buffy's frantic voice shouted into his ear. "Angel, I can't  
reach Willow. I called her place and the phone rang and rang. Is she  
with you?"  
  
"No." Angel stepped out of the parlor and made his way to the offices.  
He didn't need his son overhearing this conversation. Buffy was upset  
and obviously worried about Willow. "She and Lindsey had plans though,  
they might have went out. What's the matter, Buffy?"  
  
"Rack. He was in Sunnydale tonight. He asked me about Willow and Ron.  
She didn't answer the phone. If she was home, she would have answered  
the phone so I could warn her. What if Rack already has her and Ron,  
Angel? He did this blinking thing where he just appeared and   
disappeared. What if I was too late?"  
  
"Calm down, Buffy. Ron's here with Connor for the weekend." Angel  
headed for the front door. "I'll got to Willow's right now. I'm sure  
she's fine - like I said, she and Lindsey planned to go out. I'll call  
you when I know." Angel returned the phone to his pocket. "Lorne!"  
he yelled and waited for the green demon to appear at the top of the  
stairs. "Call everyone and tell them to get over here and don't take  
your eyes off the boys. I have to go out for a while." The front  
door slammed behind him in his haste.  
  
"What's going on?" Ron whispered to Connor. All he had caught was the  
distress in the yelling voice talking to Connor's Dad on the phone, but  
he knew his friend with the superhearing had got it all.  
  
"That was Buffy, she's worried about your Mom. Some guy named Rack is  
looking for her and you." Connor looked back. Ron was so white his  
freckles stood out like rust on porcelain. "Who is this Rack guy? Do  
you know him?"  
  
"He's my biological father."  
  
*****  
  
The apartment was incredible. Lilah had outdone herself with its   
opulence and luxurious appointments, not to mention the high-tech   
surveillance equipment. Lindsey didn't even bother looking for them, if  
Lilah wanted to watch then let her watch. He fixed himself a drink at  
the gleaming chrome and glass bar. The whole living room was in black  
and silver. Black leather furniture, black and silver accented tables,  
and a soft, slate grey carpet. From the large window, the lights of  
Los Angeles winked at him like they knew it had only been a matter of  
time until he was back where Wolfram and Hart wanted him. He slugged  
back the drink in one gulp and wandered into the bedroom. It was black  
and gold. Lilah had a sick decorating sense. His suitcases were   
stored away in the walk-in closet along with the few clothes he had  
brought and the new ones that had been boughten for him. He hadn't   
seen the person who had done his unpacking, but he was sure that they  
did a thorough job of going through everything. It didn't matter, he  
had left everything that was important.  
  
"Here's to my new life." Lindsey saluted the empty room with the empty  
glass. It seemed an appropriate gesture. He set the glass on the  
dresser and peeled his clothes off as he walked into the bathroom.  
The faceless servant would pick them up. The bathroom wasn't black,  
which was a relief. It was pink. Dark pink marble snaked with   
purplish veins surrounded the copper basin sink. The gleaming copper  
of the fixtures reminded Lindsey of Willow's hair. On the mirror   
above Lilah had left a note. 'Thought I should leave a feminine touch  
until you get used to being a bachelor again.' Lindsey grabbed the   
note and crumbled it in his hand. He tossed it on the floor and turned  
on the shower.   
  
A hot spray of water, not the tingling sonic pulse of the new showers,  
pelted against his body as Lindsey stepped in. The rich and evil   
obviously didn't care about conserving precious natural resources. He  
was grateful though, because although he doubted there were any cameras  
in here, if there were the water would obscure his tears. Lindsey   
bowed his head and let the spray hit his neck and the back of his head.  
He thought of Willow and Ron. He heard Willow's begging, pleading  
voice in his head and saw her big green eyes filled with tears. "I   
love you," he whispered the words he couldn't say back to her before  
and watched them swirl down the drain along with the water. He didn't  
want this, he didn't want any of this. It made him sick, but he   
couldn't afford to be sick. If his reaction was that severe, then   
Lilah would get suspicious and all of this would have been for nothing.  
  
*****  
  
"Willow?" Angel called out. The front door was unlocked and the   
lights were on. He doubted that Lindsey and Willow would have left the  
house this way if they had gone out. Everything seemed in place   
downstairs. The living room was large and comfortable with pictures of  
family and friends littered everywhere. Willow had made a real effort  
to make a home for herself and her family after so many years on the  
run. She had succeeded. The house was warm and cozy and empty.   
Angel didn't like the way it looked. "Willow?" Angel strained his   
vampire senses for any signs of human life. He picked up a heartbeat   
and snuffly breaths. She was upstairs.  
  
The bedroom door was slightly open. Angel could see clothes strewn  
about the floor. He couldn't smell blood. He nudged the door open.  
"Willow." Angel crossed over to the sobbing woman on the bed. She was  
clutching an old flannel shirt and didn't seem to notice he was there.  
Angel sat on the bed beside her and caressed her hair in a comforting  
motion. The room was a mess, but there were no signs of actual   
violence. The clothes were all pulled out of the closet and thrown on  
the floor, some personal possessions were knocked down, but nothing was  
broken. "Willow, where is Lindsey?"  
  
A choked sob was his answer as Willow started to cry harder. She  
didn't resist when Angel pulled her up and gathered her in his arms.  
"Gone," she finally managed to whisper. "He left us...for...for  
Wolfram and Hart."  
  
Angel didn't know what to say. He had never completely trusted Lindsey  
when it came to Wolfram and Hart - he had seen him tempted by them one  
too many times - and had actually expected him to return to the law  
firm long before now. But he had to admit that Lindsey loved Willow  
and Ron and had proven himself over the last two years by helping out  
all he could with tracking down the last Nyazian Scroll to see if Lilah  
did indeed have it. Angel was surprised that Lindsey had left them now  
and furious that he had obviously devastated Willow while doing it.  
Lindsey McDonald was scum, but Angel could hardly tell Willow that. It  
wouldn't make her feel any better. Nothing could make her feel better,  
but she couldn't languish in her depression either. He had to make   
sure she was safe and ready to face Rack. "Willow, sweetheart, I need  
you to pack some things for you and Ron. You two are going to stay at  
the Hyperion for a while."  
  
"It's okay, Angel." Willow lifted her head from his shoulder and wiped  
at her tears. Lindsey's cologne from his shirt filled her nose and  
she almost broke down again. The only thing that stopped her was the  
fact that Angel already thought she was a delicate doll that needed to  
be sheltered. "I'm fine. I just need some time alone to think. Ron  
and I will be fine."  
  
"Normally, I would agree, but there's something you don't know. Buffy  
encountered Rack in Sunnydale. He was looking for you and Ron." Angel  
squeezed Willow's shoulders. "If Lindsey were here, I would be   
insisting that all three of you move in to the hotel until Rack is  
dealt with."  
  
Willow nodded. She was emotionally drained and only felt a stinging  
coldness chilling her bones instead of a heart-thudding fear. She was  
in no shape to deal with Rack alone. She couldn't protect her son or  
herself right now, but Angel could. "I'll pack." She moved away from  
Angel and started to pick a few things up from the floor. She wondered  
if she should leave Lindsey a note telling him where they were or maybe  
call him. He might come back if he knew Rack was threatening them. He  
had promised to protect them, to love them. He wouldn't break those  
promises - not really. They were more than words. More than words.  
  
"Willow." Angel caught her as her knees buckled and she passed out.  
"Bastard," he muttered as he carried Willow down the stairs. They  
would have to come back later and pack whatever Willow and Ron needed.  
Right now he needed Willow to be somewhere where she was safe and   
loved.  
  
To be continued.... 


	2. Chapter Two

Part Two  
  
Willow looked up at the soft tapping on the bedroom door. She wiped at  
  
her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Come in." She wasn't surprised  
  
when Angel stepped into the room. She hadn't been able to sleep the  
  
night before and had been aware every time he had checked in on her.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hi." Angel closed the door. He stood uncertainly in front of it  
  
watching Willow where she sat at the end of the bed. Her eyes were red  
  
and her cheeks tearstained. "Are you hungry? Would you like some  
  
breakfast?"  
  
"I don't know." Willow shrugged. She felt nothing but loss. She   
  
hadn't felt this way since she had fled Sunnydale when she was pregnant  
  
with Ron. "How am I going to tell him, Angel? What am I going to tell  
  
him? He loves Lindsey so much."  
  
Angel sat down next to Willow. "Does Ron know about Lindsey's past   
  
with Wolfram and Hart?"  
  
"Yes, we've always explained things to Ron as he got old enough to  
  
understand." Willow bent her head and pressed her hand to her   
  
forehead. Lack of sleep and emotional turmoil was giving her a raging  
  
headache. It felt nice when Angel put his arms around her. She let  
  
her head rest on his chest, his sweater soft against her cheek. "I   
  
don't know how he's going to understand this when I don't."  
  
"Then you'll have to tell him that too. You can't explain Lindsey's  
  
actions." Angel rubbed Willow's back in long, soothing strokes. She  
  
seemed calmer this morning and he was less afraid that she was going to  
  
fall apart.  
  
"Mom." Ron walked into the bedroom without knocking. He stopped short  
  
at the sight of his mother in another man's arms. "Where's Dad?"  
  
"I'll go and let you two talk." Angel gave Willow a hug and stood up.  
  
"Do you know where Connor is, Ron?"  
  
"He's downstairs having breakfast. We're supposed to be meeting Dory  
  
and her mom soon." Ron frowned. "Mom, where's Dad?"  
  
"Come here, sweetie." Willow held out her arms. She gave Angel a weak  
  
smile of thanks before he left them alone. "Something happened last  
  
night...."  
  
"I know," Ron interrupted, relieved that this was what had upset his  
  
mother. "Connor overheard his dad on the phone with Buffy. Rack is  
  
looking for us again. Is Dad trying to find him?"  
  
"No. Your father doesn't know that Rack was in Sunnydale." Willow   
  
hugged her son close. He was going to have to deal with so much, it  
  
wasn't fair. "Ron, Lindsey has been unhappy lately. I don't know why.  
  
Last night he decided to leave. He took a job with Wolfram and Hart  
  
and he...he left."  
  
"No, Mom." Ron shook his head and pulled away from Willow. "You're  
  
wrong. Dad would never leave us."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ron, but he made it very clear that he wasn't happy  
  
anymore." Willow pulled her son back to her. "I think he's confused.  
  
He thinks that his old job will make him happy. I don't think this has  
  
anything to do with us. Lindsey still loves us. I know he does."  
  
Ron let his mother hug him and continue to insist that his dad loved  
  
them and that they had done nothing wrong - he had done nothing wrong.  
  
It wasn't anyone's fault. But if it wasn't his fault, then why had his  
  
dad left them? Why had he chosen an evil law firm over his family?  
  
Did it mean that his dad was evil? His biological father was evil.  
  
Ron hugged his mother back tight. He wasn't evil. He wasn't. He  
  
repeated those words in his mind over and over, not completely sure if  
  
he was referring to his dad or himself.  
  
*****  
  
"I see you've maintained your fabulous work ethic, Lindsey." Lilah   
  
walked into his office without announcing herself. It was her way of  
  
showing him she was the boss - more specifically his boss.  
  
"You know what they say - the early evil lawyer gets the demon client  
  
off on all charges." Lindsey didn't look up from the flat computer  
  
screen inlaid on his desk. It was his way of showing her he didn't   
  
care she was his boss.  
  
"How's the apartment? Do you like how I had it decorated?" Lilah  
  
smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
Lindsey shrugged. "It's fine." He finally looked up at her. He   
  
wasn't going to let her know that her little note bothered him. He was  
  
free and clear. He couldn't think about Willow and Ron while he was  
  
at the office. He wouldn't be able to deal with things if he did.   
  
"I'll probably have it redone soon anyway. You always did things a bit  
  
too cheaply for my tastes."  
  
Lilah's eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. "Have you filed for   
  
divorce yet, Lindsey, or are you going to let wifey take care of that?  
  
She wasted no time moving in with Angel, maybe there was a little   
  
something going on there you didn't know about. She might not be as  
  
heartbroken as you had hoped."  
  
"If you had bothered to pay attention in law school, Lilah, then you  
  
would know that Willow Rosenberg and I are not legally married   
  
therefore there is no need for a divorce. I'm still married to Aria.  
  
No death certificate has been filed in her name." What he said was  
  
true, his union with Willow was dissolved that easily. On paper. She  
  
was his wife. Ron was his son. Paper didn't matter.  
  
"You always did cover all your bases. I admire that about you." Lilah  
  
fingered the lapel of her dark suit and smoothed down her hair. "But  
  
that's enough pleasant office small talk for this morning, we have a   
  
client that I would like you to handle personally." She gestured for  
  
someone to join them in the office.  
  
The man was large with heavy features and stringy black hair. Dark   
  
magic swirled around him. A warlock. "How can I help you?" Lindsey  
  
nodded at one of his office chairs, an invitation for the man to sit.  
  
Lilah continued to hover near the doorway like a vulture, but Lindsey  
  
wasn't sure exactly what roadkill she had caught scent of.  
  
"First of all," the man's voice was deep and gravelly. Lindsey didn't  
  
like looking into the blackness of his eyes, but forced himself to.   
  
"I would like to thank you for taking care of my son all these years,   
  
Mr. McDonald."  
  
Rack. This man was Rack. The warlock he had hidden Willow and Ron  
  
from for all these years was sitting in his office. "You're welcome,"  
  
Lindsey managed to choke out.  
  
Rack smiled. "I'm sure you'll be just as helpful with getting me   
  
visitation rights with my son."  
  
It was all very clear to Lindsey now. This was his test to see if he  
  
was loyal to Wolfram and Hart or to his family. He was the roadkill  
  
Lilah was waiting for.  
  
*****  
  
The mall was busy, but it was still early enough in the day that it  
  
wasn't too crowded. Connor followed Cordelia as she distractedly   
  
threaded her way through the other shoppers. Something was very wrong.  
  
Breakfast had been silent and grim and although Connor and Ron had  
  
both been aware that Angel had brought Willow back to the hotel the  
  
night before, she hadn't come out of her room to join them. Then his  
  
Dad had announced that Ron and his mother had things to talk about and  
  
that they wouldn't be making the planned trip to the mall to meet Dory  
  
and Mrs. Halliwell. Now, the most telling sign that things were bad,  
  
his mother was not stopping to window shop or drag him into stores he  
  
didn't want to go into. Connor wasn't even sure she realized that she  
  
was in a mall.   
  
"Piper." Cordelia waved gratefully upon spotting her Charmed friend  
  
sitting with her daughter beside the large fountain that was the   
  
centerpiece of the food court. She really needed to talk to another  
  
woman and the fact that Piper was a witch was bonus. She would know  
  
how to help Willow with her marital and warlock problems.  
  
"Hi, Cordy." Piper smiled. Her gaze shifted around in confusion.   
  
"Where's Willow and Ron?"  
  
"Something came up." Cordelia shrugged vaguely, but glanced pointedly  
  
at the children. She didn't want to bring anything up in front of  
  
them just yet. It would be better if the adults had a better handle  
  
on what was happening before they involved the kids. "Why don't we  
  
fortify ourselves with coffee before we hit the sales?" Cordelia  
  
nodded toward a coffee shop.  
  
"Hi, Connor." Pandora greeted her friend with a smile as they fell in  
  
step behind their mothers. She hadn't seen her two best friends all  
  
summer and she really wanted to give Connor a hug. She didn't want to  
  
embarrass him though by a public display of affection. He had gotten  
  
taller.  
  
"Hey, Dory. How was your whitelighter summer school with The Elders?"  
  
Connor shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to ignore the voice  
  
inside him that wanted to shout 'Gee, you're pretty.' She was very  
  
pretty in jeans and a pink t-shirt with her long brown hair hanging in  
  
waves down past her shoulders. He couldn't tell her that though   
  
because it was lame and wrong. Pandora was his best friend, he wasn't  
  
supposed to think she was pretty. Connor sat down on a high stool at  
  
the counter with Dory while Piper and Cordelia settled themselves at a  
  
table nearby. He was pretty sure his mother wanted a bit of privacy  
  
to tell Mrs. Halliwell all about Ron's biological father showing up.  
  
Pandora waited until they had their orders of iced coffee before she  
  
answered Connor's question, "I learned a lot about my powers and how  
  
to control them to find people who need help." This summer The Elders  
  
had insisted that she visit them and learn more about her whitelighter  
  
abilities and duties. At first, Pandora had been reluctant to leave  
  
her family and friends, but she had enjoyed exploring her empathic,  
  
passive powers and time had moved so quickly. What had been the summer  
  
for her family and friends had only been a few days to her. Still,   
  
she had missed her friends and with her heightened awareness, she could  
  
sense that Ron was in trouble. "What's going on with Ron?"  
  
Connor sighed. "His biological father, Rack, showed up in Sunnydale.  
  
He's looking for Ron and Aunt Willow. Dad brought Aunt Willow back to  
  
the hotel last night, she and Ron are going to stay with us for now,   
  
but as far as I know, Ron's dad isn't. Aunt Willow is really upset and  
  
Ron thinks that his dad has gone after Rack."  
  
"Poor Ron." Pandora swept her hair back behind her ears and frowned in  
  
thought. "If this Rack guy is so powerful then he should be in the  
  
Book of Shadows. Ron would feel better and be more prepared to face  
  
him if he knew more about him."  
  
"Do you think Ron will have to actually face Rack?" The worry Connor  
  
felt for his friend increased and was joined by fear.  
  
"I don't think Rack will just go away, he's here for a reason."   
  
Pandora reached over and squeezed Connor's hand reassuringly. "It'll  
  
be okay, Ron won't be alone. He'll have us and his parents and your  
  
parents and my parents and my aunts and uncles and your aunts and  
  
uncles."  
  
"Of course." Connor smiled and tightened his grip on Pandora's hand.  
  
She was right. Rack couldn't hurt Ron, there were too many people  
  
standing in his way.  
  
*****   
  
The Source's chamber in the Underworld was cold - a deep, bone chilling  
  
cold - but feeling it was a weakness so Rack did not shiver. He also  
  
did not bow his head in submission. He did not consider the Source as  
  
his master, but rather a colleague and an ally. "You can't refuse my  
  
offer, it is your opportunity to turn things back to your advantage."  
  
Rack smirked. He eyed the hooded figure sitting on large stone throne  
  
that was chiseled from the rock that surrounded them. Ancient runic  
  
writing glowed in the ceiling above the Source of All Evil.  
  
"You are overconfident, Rack." The voice that issued from within the  
  
cavernous hood was strong, but distorted in a hollow, hissing manner.  
  
It almost seemed to come from around the Source rather than from it.  
  
"You need my assistance to gain control over the boy."  
  
"I don't need a lawyer from your law firm to reclaim my son." Rack   
  
brushed some dust from his suit. Why a demon with as much power as the  
  
Source held would choose to bury himself down here was beyond him. Rack  
  
wanted that power, but didn't covet the position. He wasn't a threat  
  
to the Source's reign, he didn't want to rule the Underworld and look  
  
after the myriads of demons and evil beings that claimed fidelity to  
  
the Source. Rack just wanted the raw energy of evil that the Source  
  
commanded. "He is my blood, evil will call to him. You need me and  
  
my son to stop the Charmed Ones."  
  
"The Charmed Ones are a mere nuisance," the Source snapped.  
  
"They destroyed the last Source." Rack stepped forward.   
  
"They got lucky. My predecessor acted out of fear after he heard the  
  
prophecy of the Thrice Charmed Child."  
  
"But you aren't going to make that mistake. You see the potential in  
  
the Child and not the threat." Rack's dark eyes gleamed with unholy  
  
anticipation. The Source would give him the power he craved. "I hear  
  
that my son is quite close to the Charmed Child. I can bring her to   
  
you as well." At the Source's nod, Rack smiled. He would have to   
  
thank Willow for preventing him from killing their son at birth. He  
  
was turning out to be much more valuable as a teenager.  
  
*****  
  
Ron sat on a bench in the Hyperion's courtyard and looked up at the  
  
clear blue sky. It wasn't fair that fluffy white clouds drifted lazily  
  
across a perfect sky when he felt so horrible. Thunder should be   
  
crashing and lightening should be ripping apart the sky just like he  
  
was ripped up inside. The dad he loved had left him and the father he  
  
was afraid of had returned. Ron shivered despite the hot sun shining  
  
down on him.  
  
"Ron!" Pandora rushed up to her friend and embraced him. "How are   
  
you?"  
  
"Blissful now that you've finally realized your love for me, Dory."   
  
Ron managed a grin as Pandora snorted and pushed away from him. He   
  
glanced at Connor, who had approached more slowly. "Sorry for   
  
abandoning you on the mall trip with the females."  
  
"It wasn't too bad." Connor sat down on the bench beside Pandora. She  
  
was twisted slightly to face Ron and her hair tickled Connor's face as  
  
it danced in the breeze. "So, uh, what did your mom say? Do they know  
  
any more about Rack?"  
  
"No, but Mom says I have to be extra careful now. I tried to use it  
  
to get out of starting school, but looks like we're taking the sewers  
  
with your dad for a while." Ron sighed. Being with his friends had   
  
calmed some of his inner confusion. They didn't seem afraid that he  
  
would go all evil on them. Of course, they didn't know that was what  
  
his dad had done.   
  
"Connor and I thought that it might help if we looked Rack up in the  
  
Book of Shadows." Pandora squeezed Ron's hand encouragingly. She   
  
hated seeing her normally lighthearted and funny friend so quiet and  
  
dejected. They needed to do something. "We might even find a....  
  
protection or banishing spell that could help." Pandora bit her lip.  
  
She had almost suggested a vanquishing spell. She wasn't sure how Ron  
  
would feel about that. She knew that he had never met Rack and that   
  
the warlock was evil and had wanted to kill Ron ever since he was born,  
  
but there was still a connection between them. She didn't want Ron to  
  
have to decide whether or not he should vanquish his father.  
  
"You're not supposed to look through the Book of Shadows unsupervised."  
  
Ron raised his eyebrows. Dory must really be worried if she was   
  
proposing they break a major Halliwell rule. It was nice that she was  
  
worried about Rack though and not him. She wouldn't let him near the  
  
Book of Shadows if she thought he was evil.   
  
"Well...Mom is here, my aunts are at work, and Dad is with the Elders."  
  
Pandora took a deep breath. She really hated breaking the rules -   
  
especially one as serious as using the Book of Shadows - but Ron was   
  
her friend and he needed to be prepared. She trusted their parents and  
  
family to do everything they could to protect him, but sometimes   
  
everything wasn't enough. Sometimes you had to take care of yourself.  
  
"If I orb us to the Book and we take a quick look and then orb back   
  
here...what they don't know won't hurt them."  
  
"Orb?" Ron edged away from Pandora a bit, but didn't break contact by  
  
taking his hand away from hers. "You know I don't like that particular  
  
mode of transportation. Let's take the bus instead. A good solid   
  
bus."  
  
Pandora rolled her eyes. "That will take too long." She smiled as she  
  
felt Connor's hand slip into her free one. "Quit being silly, Ron,   
  
I've been orbing since I was a baby." She tightened her grip on her  
  
friends and thought about the attic of her house. As she directed her  
  
mind to take her and her friends there, she felt the familiar tingling,  
  
fuzzy sensation of dissolving into blue light. Orbing three people was  
  
trickier than just orbing herself, she had to keep track of them as   
  
well. Luckily, there wasn't time for her mind to wander, almost  
  
instantly she felt the jolt of solidifying and landing on a wooden   
  
floor. They were now in her attic. The Book of Shadows lay open on a  
  
stand a few feet away. Pandora walked over to it before she could   
  
change her mind. Now that they were here she was nervous.  
  
Connor and Ron exchanged a glance as they looked around the room. Old  
  
furniture and boxes cluttered the large room. A multi-paned window   
  
behind Pandora let in the only light. "It's an attic." Connor was  
  
disappointed. Ever since he had met Pandora when he had finally been  
  
allowed to attend school, he had heard stories about demons trying to  
  
steal the Book of Shadows, using the Book of Shadows to summon dead  
  
relatives, and a lot of other cool, mystical events. It was   
  
anticlimactic to find it was just an old book in an attic full of junk.  
  
"What were you expecting?" Pandora raised an eyebrow at her friends.  
  
"I don't know." Connor shrugged. "Something more...witchy."  
  
"Sorry, but I wasn't expecting company. Next time you guys come over  
  
to research demons I'll make sure I bring out the black candles and  
  
etch a pentagram on the floor." Pandora smiled at them to take the   
  
sting out of her words. She held her hand over the Book of Shadows.  
  
"For now, this will have to do. Book of Shadows, hear this Halliwell  
  
speak, within your pages it is the warlock Rack whom I seek." The  
  
pages of the book flipped rapidly back and forth until they finally  
  
settled midway through the Book.  
  
"Well?" Ron prompted impatiently when Pandora didn't start reading   
  
right away. He walked up to stand in front of her, the Book between  
  
them. He could see the drawing of a man's face upside down. Ron   
  
stepped back, he couldn't look at the cruel twist of the man's lips.  
  
"Rack, an adept magician in the late eighteen hundreds. He gained  
  
magical power and the status of a warlock in 1910 when he..." Pandora  
  
gasped. Her eyes met Connor's and he knew that whatever it was, it was  
  
bad. He stepped up beside Ron and nodded for her to continue. At   
  
least Ron would be with his friends when he heard about his biological  
  
father's nature. "He sacrificed his son, born from a witch. He feeds  
  
on the magic of witches, using their power while giving them a feeling  
  
of false euphoria and a taste for dark magic. His weakness is his  
  
thirst for power. Novice witches who are not properly trained to   
  
control their magic are most likely to fall prey to his influence."  
  
"Who, uh, wrote that?" Ron forced himself to look at the face of the  
  
warlock who would have murdered him. A part of him had always thought  
  
that maybe his mother had overreacted and that Rack wouldn't have   
  
actually sacrificed him, but he had done it before. His mother had  
  
never told him that. Maybe she didn't know. There might be a lot of  
  
things that she didn't know.   
  
"I don't know who wrote it, but it would have been a Halliwell."  
  
"We should probably be getting back." Connor glanced at his watch.  
  
"We'll be missed soon."  
  
"Yeah." Ron agreed distractedly, but he didn't move. He stared at the  
  
Book of Shadows. There was something else that he needed to know. "I  
  
need to know who my father is. Dory, can you look up Wolfram and Hart  
  
for me, please?" Fear almost made Ron stop his friend as she held her  
  
hand over the Book again and repeated the locating spell for Wolfram  
  
and Hart. He had to know though. Now that he knew that evil had given  
  
him life, he had to know if it had raised him as well. Who was he?  
  
To be continued.... 


End file.
